


The Ace Up Her Sleeve

by cosmic_llin



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Friendship, Gambling, Gen, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-15
Updated: 2013-08-15
Packaged: 2017-12-23 13:43:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/927177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_llin/pseuds/cosmic_llin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Janeway and Tuvok go to a casino.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ace Up Her Sleeve

Tuvok did not experience exasperation. But, in purely hypothetical terms, if he were able to become exasperated, now might be an appropriate time.

‘I don’t see the problem, Tuvok,’ his captain was saying. ‘The Multalans are a gaming society, like the Wadi. If we want to trade with them for the supplies we need, it’s vital we show them respect by participating in the cultural activities they’ve so generously invited us to share. And I don’t intend for us to gamble away any more of our resources than I need to, which is why I need you to be there. You’re almost as quick as the computer at calculating odds.’

‘Captain, as I have told you already, Vulcans do not gamble.’

‘They do if their captain orders them to,’ she said, and to Tuvok’s experienced ear it sounded as though she was only mostly in jest.

‘Certainly I will participate if you require it,’ he said smoothly. ‘But it would be my preference to remain on the ship. Perhaps instead Lieutenant Torres can equip the Doctor with an odds-calculating subroutine.’

She made a face that signified distaste. ‘Tuvok, think for just a moment. Every time the Doctor gets a new hobby, something ridiculous happens. Besides, I’m pretty sure the Multalans would count that as cheating. No. The Doctor stays here.’

Tuvok looked evenly at her. She sighed.

‘Well,’ she said, ‘if you really don’t want to, I guess I’ll just go on my own.’

Tuvok certainly did not frown in sudden worry.

‘Captain,’ he said, ‘I did not realise that you intended to go yourself. I had thought perhaps Lieutenant Paris…?’

‘What, and let him have all the fun?’ she said.

Tuvok swiftly hypothesised the range of outcomes possible should the captain visit a gambling establishment unsupervised.

‘Having given the matter further consideration, I believe I will accompany you,’ he said.

Her delighted grin only served to confirm that he had made the wisest decision.

* * *

The Multalan game complex was unlike any gambling establishment of which Tuvok had prior experience. He had visited few, and most of them were small and shabby, with a bar or two, perhaps some holosuites, and a few gaming tables and dabo wheels. This was entirely different.

‘It’s like Old Vegas,’ the captain breathed beside him, not bothering to hide her glee from their Multalan guides. ‘Look, Tuvok!’

Their surroundings did bear a resemblance to what Tuvok knew of twentieth-century Las Vegas. Everything glittered or shone, from the glowing signs pointing the way around the vast complex to the tables and chairs, embedded with small lights that flashed in repeating patterns. Many of the patrons and staff wore glowing jewellery and accessories. Voices chattered and laughed and equipment chirped and whirred. Waiting staff passing by offered them selections of mysterious food on shining plates.

It was more sensory input that Tuvok was accustomed to or appreciated. But the captain was in her element. She made polite small talk with their hosts but Tuvok could see that she was eager to explore, her eyes darting to examine each new sight, her smile the wide one that had nothing to do with good manners and everything to do with her joy in any new experience.

It suited Tuvok when, a few moments later, they were seated at a wide, low table set back a little from the noisiest part of the room. Refreshments were provided, the captain brought out the credit tokens they had exchanged several replicated items of value for, and the leader of the Multalan delegation - one Mister Ara - began to explain to them the rules of this particular game.

It seemed straightforward enough. Each player had three small globes of different colours, which they threw upon the table, which was marked with spirals. Each section of a spiral meant something different depending on which colour globe landed in it, and on where the others were at the time. Tuvok grasped the basics the first time Ara explained. The captain claimed not to understand and said she would trust her luck. She winked at Tuvok, turned her back to the table and threw the globes over her shoulder.

‘Ah, red prize!’ said Ara. ‘My lady captain, you seem to have a natural talent for this game.’

She picked up the globes to try again.

* * *

They played for some time. Tuvok was persuaded to take a turn, and won green prize, which apparently was somewhat rare. The heap of credit tokens they were brought afterward was sizeable.

They moved onto a different game. The captain told him it was very similar to an Earth game known as “craps”. She seemed to know how to play. She lost as much as she won, but she didn’t seem concerned - their stack of tokens was still large enough to require carrying in a specially-provided receptacle. Tuvok was not sure why it was necessary for him to blow on her dice before she rolled, but he saw no harm in indulging her whim.

It was late into the evening when Ara said:

‘Well, Captain, now that we’ve warmed up, how about we play for something a bit bigger than credit tokens?’

‘What do you mean?’ she asked, scooping up her most recent win.

‘You said your ship needed supplies. Perhaps you can win them.’

She tilted her head at him. ‘Let’s not mix business with pleasure, Mister Ara. I’m sure we can come to a trade agreement in the days ahead - there’s no need to rush.’

‘Ah... you don’t understand, I’m afraid. That won’t be possible.’

Tuvok watched the captain as her smile grew fixed, her shoulders straightened and her hands twitched at her sides as she resisted the impulse to put them on her hips. Ara seemed not to notice anything different.

‘You see,’ he continued, ‘we on Multala do not trade. It is simply not done. We only game. Please do not be offended - we have the utmost respect for you and we are enjoying your company, but this is the way we do things.’

The captain took a breath, and let it out slowly.

‘All right then,’ she said. ‘If we’re going to play... let’s play.’

* * *

The captain’s cheerful demeanour had disappeared. Now there was only determination. Tuvok had seen that look on her face before, and 77% of the time it predicted the success of whatever endeavour she was attempting.

Of course, chance played a greater role this time than it usually did.

The game they were playing now involved spinning several small wheels that all touched one another, inside a larger circle, and betting on the outcome. Tuvok’s mind raced through the possibilities, the various winning combinations and their probabilities. The odds did not seem to be in their favour.

‘Captain,’ Tuvok said, ‘I believe our best chance is to repeatedly spin the middle wheel for the northern edge of the circle. It will lead to smaller, more gradual returns, but the chance of us losing everything we have already gained is minimised.’

‘All right, you know best,’ she said under her breath, and spun.

The strategy worked. For a while. They built their pile of credit tokens slowly but surely, the captain making careful spins under Tuvok’s direction. One million credits won would secure them the vital supplies they had requested.

A hundred thousand. Two hundred thousand. They began to bet more heavily. Five hundred thousand.

And then suddenly, their fortunes changed. The captain bit her lip, concentrating. Tuvok paid close attention to the movements of the wheels, refining his odds, adjusting their strategy.

Still they lost and lost, over and over. They lost so many turns that eventually, their healthy pile of credit tokens dwindled into a stack, a handful, and then into nothing.

‘It appears luck is not with you tonight, captain,’ Ara said.

‘We’re not done yet,’ she said.

Her whole body was tense. She was leaning over the table and gazing intently at him.

‘You have nothing else to play with,’ he said. ‘And I confess I am tired of this game. Perhaps we should stop. There’s no shame in losing, captain. But I will allow you one final throw to win your supplies, if you can offer something to bet.’

She turned to Tuvok and said under her breath:

‘There’s always the ship itself...?’

‘That would be _extremely_ unwise, captain,’ he said firmly. ‘I do not believe the situation in any way warrants it. If necessary we can obtain supplies elsewhere, even if it will mean a few weeks of hardship for the crew. Having no ship would be far more inconvenient.’

She sighed. ‘I suppose you’re right. I just hate the idea of going back to the ship empty-handed and disappointing everyone. But look - if we go for the rarer combinations, can we get up to a million credits with one throw?’

Tuvok examined the table.

‘There are a total of three combinations that would allow that, assuming that we can raise a stake sufficient to enter the game,’ he told her.

‘And do you think you can spin the wheels with enough precision to get one of those combinations?’

Tuvok’s dexterity and hand-eye coordination was greater than that of a human, but not _that_ much greater. He could calculate the force and direction necessary to achieve a winning spin, but it was difficult to judge exactly how to achieve it without any tools.

‘I believe there is a 4% chance of my success in this endeavour,’ he said.

‘One in twenty,’ she said, and he didn’t correct her. ‘I’ll take it. All right, Ara, we’re going in one more time.’

She took off her commbadge and tossed it onto the table. Ara picked it up, examined it, bit it and shook his head.

‘Not enough,’ he said. ‘You need a bigger stake than this to get back into the game.’

‘Tuvok?’

He contributed his own commbadge.

‘Still not quite enough,’ said Ara. ‘Do you have anything else of value on you?’

‘I can get something from the ship...’

‘Ah, no leaving the table,’ he shook his head.

‘In that case...’ the captain sighed.

She reached inside her uniform and drew out a little silver charm.

‘Saint Brendan the Navigator,’ she said, with a small smile. ‘My mother gave me this for good luck on my first command. It’s an antique. I thought I’d bring it along in case it helped us win. And... well... let’s hope it does.’

She laid it on the table. Ara examined it.

‘All right,’ he said. ‘You’re in. Mark your bet and make your last spin.’

Tuvok understood that the odds were slim. It should not have mattered what they stood to lose. They had already lost many thousands of credits and it had not concerned him unduly. But this object clearly had some personal significance to the captain. She would undoubtedly be distressed to lose it. And it was only logical that her emotional well-being should be a priority, in order to ensure the smooth running of the ship.

So, he took the utmost care as he prepared to spin, going over his calculations one last time as his hand reached for the wheel. He visualised what would happen next - the precise amount of pressure on the wheel, spinning it in exactly the right direction.

He spun. The wheel turned and turned.

And then the captain cheered, loudly right beside him, and flung her arms around him only briefly in deference to his aversion to prolonged physical contact.

‘I knew you could do it!’ she grinned, reattaching her commbadge.

She held her Saint Brendan charm tightly in one fist, not letting go even as their winnings were brought and Ara good-naturedly made arrangements for their tokens to be exchanged for the supplies they needed.

Tuvok noted that the hour was late.

‘Captain,’ he said, ‘perhaps it is time we returned to the ship.’

‘Oh, Tuvok, really? But our luck is just changing!’

‘It would be unwise to jeopardise the supplies now that we have won them.’

She sighed. ‘You’re probably right. But I’ve just had so much fun.’

She turned to the Multalan delegation. ‘I don’t suppose any of you have ever heard of a game called Fizzbin?’

‘ _Captain_.’

‘Oh, all right, all right,’ she said.

And they took their winnings home.

  



End file.
